The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) responded on Friday to the $10 million civil suit filed by Jonathan Bettez, long considered by the provincial police to be the main suspect in the murder of Cédrika Provencher.

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Jonathan Bettez criticizes the Sûreté du Québec for having done everything to convince the population that he would be a murderer and a pedophile.

However, in a document filed at the Montreal Courthouse last Friday, SQ lawyers point out that in their opinion, there is no cause for prosecution. They are asking the court to dismiss the Bettez family's claim.

The lawyers assure that his right to the presumption of innocence has not been violated. "The presumption of innocence cannot be flouted in the absence of a criminal charge," reads an excerpt from the court document.

After multiple interrogations, the lawyers of the SQ thus prepare a written defense in response to the request of the Bettez family. “We will deny several assertions, and we will argue that there was no fault, there is certainly no causal link and there is no reason for these damages. He was not charged, even though he was always the first person targeted,” explained retired judge Nicole Gibeault.

Jonathan Bettez also accuses the police of having carried out illegal searches, seizures and searches, on the basis of misleading information. He was arrested in 2016 and later acquitted of all child pornography charges against him.

The SQ replies that the police did not commit any fault. “The Defendants had every right to start a new investigation based on a hunch. The future has also shown that these intuitions were justified, ”it is indicated in the document.

“There was obviously a hard-hitting decision at the Court of Quebec for a stoppage of proceedings because we carried out abusive searches. [...] We do not seize things if we do not have a warrant. We can go there on intuition, but we have to refine our intuitions as a police officer until we find reasons, ”says Ms. Gibeault.

The lawyers also judge that the damages of more than 10 million dollars claimed by the Bettez family are "grossly exaggerated". It is reported that there is no evidence that the police had the desire to deliberately harm Jonathan Bettez and that they could not foresee all the consequences alleged by the family, such as the possible sale of the Bettez Packaging business.

As for his right to silence, it is reiterated that Jonathan Bettez has never waived it. The document also states that the investigators have always respected his choice, the proof being that he has never taken the polygraph test.